COLUMBIA, S.C. — According to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) more than 19,000 doses of coronavirus vaccine have already been given to those in South Carolina’s first phase of distribution, including front-line medical workers.
This comes after the state received nearly 43,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine last week.
Now the agency says the Palmetto State is receiving a second round of Pfizer vaccine and 15 healthcare facilities are getting a combined 30,225 doses to continue to administer to those at most risk.
As for the Moderna vaccine, the agency says those shots will be allocated to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Long-Term Care Program, which works with CVS and Walgreens to vaccinate those in our state’s long-term care facilities.
Those shots are expected to begin next week with skilled nursing facilities likely the first to receive them.
“We anticipate receiving a total of 200,000 to 300,000 doses of vaccine, including both the Pfizer and Moderna ones by the end of the year,” Dr. Brannon Traxler, DHEC Interim Public Health Director, said in a Friday press conference. “And, again these are all first shot doses, these individuals' second vaccines will come from a future allocation that is being held by the federal government until that time. We will continue to provide regular updates on the vaccine in South Carolina, and we're currently developing the best way to visualize and display that vaccine data online.”
DHEC is still finalizing their guidelines for the next phase of distribution, but they’re expected to focus on other essential workers and people of high risk.